Suffering - Pt. 6

 

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:7-11 ESV).

 

Through the last five decades I have had many people tell me that they simply can’t go on. I remember one conversation in particular from a family member who asked why God would really want her to suffer as she was, day after day, with no relief. Her illness was incredibly painful even with the drugs being administered during the last few weeks of her life. Her illness was tormenting her, and she was looking for answers that we often do not have.

 

Suffering for the sake of suffering is not God’s will. It is a part of life in this broken world; God’s light has broken into the darkness, but we still long for the complete fulfillment of God’s plan. Jesus is coming again to restore everything. Meanwhile, life can be excruciatingly difficult, and we, as God’s children, are called to persevere. Hold on tightly to hope.

 

James in our reading today reminds us of the perseverance of the prophets and of Job, a man who suffered greatly when he lost all his children, all his possessions, and his health. Yet he did not lose hope or give up. God was there with him and eventually restored his possessions and gave him abundantly more. The point of Job’s story is not that he regained possessions but that he persevered in his faith in God and that God demonstrates compassion and mercy.

 

Often it is simply a matter of where we place our “care.” Another friend messaged me recently and said that she had tried not caring about her difficult circumstance, but that only made matters worse. It made her feel empty and broken. My response was from 1 Peter 5:6-7:

 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

 

Kermit was sort of right… however, just hanging on is not nearly as effective as trusting God to take over when we don’t feel as if we can possibly go on.